One swine flu shot enough for pre-teens, teens: trials
Reported September 21, 2009
WASHINGTON US health officials announced “more good news” Monday in the fight against swine flu, saying clinical trials have shown that a single dose of H1N1 vaccine will be enough to immunize healthy older children.
“Preliminary data from our trials indicate that a single 15-microgram dose of vaccine is well tolerated and induces immune responses in most older children that is generally predictive of protection,” Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), told a news conference.
“Among healthy children aged 10 – 17 years old, 76 percent had a robust immune response” eight to 10 days after being given a single shot of a vaccine made by French manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur, said Fauci.
The announcement came 10 days after US health officials announced that a single dose of swine flu vaccine could be enough to immunize healthy adults aged 18-64.
Younger children showed a less robust response and will probably need two shots against H1N1 influenza when vaccine becomes available next month, Fauci said.
“Among healthy children three to nine years old, 36 percent had a robust immune response and among healthy children six months to 35 months old, 25 percent had a robust immune response,” Fauci said, adding that the weaker response in younger children was not unexpected.
Trials of swine flu vaccine on children between the ages of six months and 17 years of age began in the middle of last month, said Fauci.
Children are among five groups deemed to be at particular risk from the novel swine flu virus.
The other at-risk groups are pregnant women, people in contact with infants, medical personnel, and adults under the age of 65 with underlying medical conditions.
The Federal Drug Administration — the agency that authorizes new drugs in the United States — on Friday approved swine flu vaccine made by four manufacturers who are also licensed to make seasonal flu vaccine in the United States, including Sanofi Pasteur.
Source : 2009 AFP
